Posted on 03/12/2018 10:02:05 AM PDT by Morgana
ANCHORAGE (KTUU) - The leading three mushers have left the Shaktoolik checkpoint and are headed to Koyuk early Monday morning.
According to the Iditarod's official check in time, Nicolas Petit, Bib 46, left at 1 a.m. Mar. 12. Behind him were mushers Mitch Seavey and Joar Leifseth Ulsom, who left Shaktoolik at 3:43 a.m. and 4:48 a.m., respectively.
According to the Iditarod's GPS tracking system, Seavey and Petit are tied almost exactly for first place.
(Excerpt) Read more at ktuu.com ...
iditraod update
Thank you.
I managed to get caught up and watched the highlights yesterday.
Mitch is down to 9 dogs, Petit 11, Ulsom has 13.
One of the locals who comments on the race had this to say 3/12 at 12:48 a.m. AK time:
From the Iditarod...
The front of the pack continues to be dominated by Nic Petit. He made the haul from Kaltag to Unakaleet in one long pull. He rested 5 hours at the checkpoint and pulled out shortly before 7:00 leaving behind one dog for muscle issues.
His pursuers, Seavey and Ulsom, pulled in 4 and 5 hours later respectively. Both rested at Old Woman cabin 20 miles outside of Unakaleet. The chase pack followed suit, resting at Old Woman cabin...that is all except Travis Beals who is looking to join Seavey and Ulsom in pursuit of Petit.
The question is, “Can anyone catch the Flying Frenchman?”
Watching video of Petit’s team last night in Kaltag and again today pulling into Unakaleet, they sure didn’t look like a team that had been beat up by 700 miles of rugged wilderness. They were heads up, ears up, tails up and straining at the harness- clearly eager to go. He has a team ready to run to Nome.
The real race started in Kaltag, but at this point it looks like it’s for positions 2-10.
Six of the last ten Iditarod runs have been 8 day races. This year’s race is likely to go nine days. Even at Petit’s current pace, he still has 33 hours of running time, and that doesn’t account for rests and the mandatory 8 hour stop at White Mountain. So far it’s been an exciting race, but a slow one with heavier snowfall, softer trails and worse weather than in recent years.
I know they track the sleds with GPS, but how can you take the wrong turn with GPS.
Recalculating?
..... how can you take the wrong turn with GPS.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
No telling. I checked the rules to make sure they can use GPS and they can.
I was wondering how Ulsom got ahead of Petit - now I know. Big mistake by Petit & likely to cost him the race.
Jesse Holmes is one of the people shown on the Life Below Zero tv series.
He’s moved up from 28th to 18th place in the past 3 days.
Currently there’s 62 teams left in the race.
Via Michael Rogers
3/12/18 9:12 p.m.
From the Iditarod...
Mother Nature is proving once again to be a game changer in the Iditarod. Frontrunner Nic Petit got lost in a ground blizzard and deviated from the course to the east during the Norton Sound crossing. The weather was well and truly horrible- 40 mile per hour winds and blowing snow that erased all signs of a trail.
Petit’s 90 minute lead vanished as he was passed by Joar Ulsom as he attempted to relocate the trail. He pulled into Koyuk 1:09 after Ulsom arrived.
Petit isn’t the first musher to go off course on the Norton Sound crossing. It seems simple, until someone actually goes onto sea ice in a ground blizzard- all sense of direction basically vanishes and visibility may only be a few feet.
Whatever scant trail was there, is gone in seconds and mushers have even reported that the all-important trail markers have been ripped from the snow and hurled downwind. There is some speculation that Petit wandered onto the Iron Dog course during a gap in the trail markers.
At this point, It’s pretty much anyone’s game where this morning Petit had it tidily won.
Just proves that it’s not over...till it’s over.
I’ve been watching Jesse - he’s having a good race, IMO. Right now, if I got my stats right, there’s only 1 rookie musher in front of him, Matt Hall, who is in 11th place.
Thank you for the update/explanation of how he made a wrong turn.
Jesse has moved up to 11th place & Matt Hall in 12th!! If he can keep this up, he should be the first rookie musher into Nome.
Go Jesse! He is #9 out of Koyuk - his dogs are flying this far into the race! Pardon the frequent updates, but I’m excited for him .... I’ll quit now! :-)
GO JESSE!
Getting lost on the ice cost Petit the Iditarod.
POS MUSHER CHKPNT
1 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (33) In to Nome
2 Nicolas Petit (46) In to Nome
3 Mitch Seavey (13) Out of Safety
4 Ray Redington Jr (17) Out of White Mountain
5 Peter Kaiser (30) Out of White Mountain
6 Richie Diehl (29) Out of White Mountain
7 Travis Beals (60) Out of White Mountain
8 Jessie Holmes (41) Out of White Mountain
9 Ramey Smyth (21) In to White Mountain
10 Linwood Fiedler (8) In to White Mountain
Unless disaster strikes, Jessle Holmes (Life Below Zero) should be the 1st rookie into Nome & in the top 10. Great finish for a first running.
Outstanding! Go Jesse!
Jesse is currently 8th. I think there is a possibility that he could improve his position by 1-2 places. Improving three places (to 5th) is not likely IMO since Kaiser left about 3 hours before Jesse. Here is Jesse’s time leaving White Mountain (after a mandatory 8 hour layover so the dogs should be rested) & the speed at which the mushers covered the distance from Elim to White Mountain - Jesse’s dogs were running strong!
Place in race - musher name - time left White Mountain - team speed into White Mountain from Elim:
8 - Jesse Holmes - 5:41:00 - 6.93 mph
7 - Travis Beals - 5:33:00 - 6.15 mph
6 - Richie Diehl - 4:49:00 - 6.60 mph
5 - Peter Kaiser - 2:38:00 = 5.97 mph
Ping to post 18 - meant to send it to you & screwed up!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/3639132/posts?page=18#18
Awesome! Go Jesse, go!
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